See. RT @MrButterChicken: A '07 article on Bargnani. Read part about the Caliper personality test and you might cry ó http://es.pn/IExMCH
Retweeted by Tim Chisholm

For a trip down memory lane the whole article is worth the read. I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or drink when I read this:

For years, NBA teams have used the Caliper Profile to evaluate potential draft picks. The Caliper is a personality profile used by numerous corporations and organizations to measure one's capacity to excel in specific situations. Over the past 24 years, Caliper has assessed more than 20,000 athletes, including NBA players from Detroit, San Antonio, Denver and Phoenix. Colangelo has long been sold on the system. When he heard how Bargnani measured up, he nearly dropped the phone.

"They said his upside and potential were off the charts," Colangelo says from the tunnel of the Air Canada Centre as Bargnani drains a three against the Cavaliers. "They said, 'Out of all the athletes we've profiled, we've never seen anything like this.' "

The test showed that Bargnani is virtually oblivious to what others think of him. And his tremendous ability to block out such potentially negative pressures enables him to focus completely on the task at hand. So the expectations and anxieties that come with being the No.1 pick, or the only Italian-born player in the league, or even taking a game-winning shot, don't even register with him.

"The test showed that Bargnani is virtually oblivious to what others think of him. And his tremendous ability to block out such potentially negative pressures enables him to focus completely on the task at hand. So the expectations and anxieties that come with being the No.1 pick, or the only Italian-born player in the league, or even taking a game-winning shot, don't even register with him."

By Joe Kaiser | Jan 17, 2013 1:54 PM
Record wise, there is little doubt that the Toronto Raptors are in fact better without Andrea Bargnani, the team's leading scorer each of the past two seasons as well as their second-highest paid player.

In the 21 games that the Raptors' perimeter-oriented big man has played in this season, the team is 4-17. In the 18 games when he's been out, the team is 10-8. Any way you look at it, those are stunning numbers.

Devin Dignam of WagesofWins.com goes into further detail as to why the team plays so much better without their top scorer:
"With Bargnani out and over 32 minutes of playing time to make up for, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has been forced to play these two more than he had earlier in the season. Luckily enough for the Raptors, it just so happens that Davis and Johnson are very productive players. Ed Davis has posted a WP48 of 0.200 or better (star-level production -- twice the production of an average player) in each of his first three seasons. Amir JohnsonĎs career WP48 is also above 0.200, and the 25 year old is in his eight season now. Both players should have been ahead of Bargnani in the rotation when he was healthy, but coaches (and management) donít always play the right players."

The big challenge for the Raptors will be not only recognizing this trend, but also doing something about it. Moving Bargnani and his big contract won't be easy. He is guaranteed $10 million this season, $11 million next season and $12 million in 2014-15.